HUGHTON ON: WEST BROMWICH ALBION

8 September 2017

Paul Hazlewood Albion speaking at his pre-match press conference.

Kieran Cleeves

At his pre-match press conference, Brighton & Hove Albion manager Chris Hughton delivered the team news ahead of West Brom’s visit to the Amex, discussed the search for a first league victory, praised the Baggies for their positive start to the season, and assessed the difficulty of playing in the Premier League.

Team news: “Glenn [Murray] trained this morning, which was a real plus. [Tomer] Hemed had a scare in midweek but we've assessed him and think he’ll be fine. Sam Baldock we hope will be out training in next couple of weeks.

“He’s [Ezequiel Schelotto] available. We’re still assessing him, because of the games he would have played and what he missed in pre-season, but he's very close and will be part of the squad.

“[Steve] Sidwell [injury] is a disappointment; we felt he would be okay. He had a small problem with is back, he recovered but ended up having an operation which will keep him out for a good period.

“[Gaetan] Bong will train next week. [Beram] Kayal is making good strides and will probably be back fit after next international break.”

First league win: “Every game we play is an opportunity to win a game. The first one is Saturday and we are very much focused on that.

“I think we have a very realistic set of people around us and a realistic crowd, they know every game is difficult.

“West Brom have seven points out of nine, and it’s no coincidence, they are an established team with an established manager.

“But we are at home and you will pick up more points at home, so that makes games at the Amex even bigger.”

West Brom praise: “They’re a very good side. They recruited well, adding to what was already a very good Premier League squad.

“Their expectations are probably different to a few years ago. We know what they’re about, they’re very tough to break down.

“They have a very experienced manager who knows how to win a game. I expect them to have a good season, the foundations are there.

“They can score goals and they’re good on set plays, but it's up to us to be able to break all of that down.”

Learning the division: “The big difference between the two divisions is always what you can get away with, the quality in this division can hurt you.

“It will be about adjusting and bouncing back, if anything the games become bigger, but what you do have is better preparation time and that's something we will look forward to.

“We’re looking forward to the challenges. After the last game getting off the mark with a point, the next challenge is to take that draw into a winning performance.”